What the Study Found

In addition to the one in 14 stat, the study found differences from state to state. For instance, in 19 states (including California, Utah, Texas, Hawaii, New Jersey, Nevada, Arizona, New York and Connecticut, and in the District of Columbia), the prevalence of smoking was lower than the overall national rate (7.2 percent). In each of those states, less than 5 percent of pregnant women reported smoking.

Conversely, 31 states had a prevalence that came in above the national average. West Virginia topped that list with 21.5 percent of women reporting that they smoked during pregnancy, followed by Kentucky (18.4 percent), Montana (16.5 percent), Vermont (15.5 percent) and Missouri (15.3 percent).

Younger moms-to-be tended to light up more than their older counterparts, with the study finding that 10.7% of expectant moms aged 20 to 24 smoked, followed by 8.5 percent of women aged 15-19 and 8.2 percent of women 25-29.

The study also found that smoking rates were highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native women at 16.7 percent, then non-Hispanic white women at 10.5 percent, non-Hispanic black women at 6 percent, Hispanic women at 1.8 percent and non-Hispanic Asian women at 0.6 percent.

Finally, rates varied by education level. Women with a high diploma or GED had the highest prevalence at 12.2 percent. Those with less than a high school diploma came in at 11.7 percent, and among those with some college or an associate's degree, the prevalence was 7.9 percent.

Unfortunately, one limitation of the study was that women were asked to share whether or not they smoked during their pregnancy. Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, professor and chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern's William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, was not involved in the study but observed to CNN that, “this is the mom being asked about her use of cigarettes during pregnancy, and I do worry a little bit about a bias toward under-reporting.” In other words, the actual number of moms-to-be who smoked may be higher than one in 14.

What This Means for Parents

The effects of smoking during pregnancy are well-documented and can impact both your health and that of your baby. Smoking during pregnancy can increase your risk of:

All that said, quitting smoking can be really hard. If you’re struggling to kick your nicotine habit, talk to your doctor. There are a number of safe cessation programs available, including hypnosis, acupuncture and a variety of relaxation techniques.

If you're comfortable with a group approach — which builds in support — you may want to consider programs run by Nicotine Anonymous, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and SmokEnders. Or seek support online from other pregnant women who are trying to call it quits. Check out smokefree.gov or cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking for more information and help.

Although nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patches, lozenges or gums) or Chantix (a prescription drug used to curb cravings) isn’t recommended as a first-line treatment, ask your doctor about whether it could be an appropriate treatment for you.

What about E-Cigarettes?

You may have heard that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes or that they may even help you quit smoking, but that’s not necessarily the case. Although e-cigs emit fewer chemicals than tobacco cigarettes, they do contain nicotine and other potentially cancer-causing ingredients. Moreover, because e-cigarettes are pretty new, there’s not enough research to know for sure whether they’re safer than tobacco cigarettes. Lastly, a 2014 review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that the levels of nicotine listed on e-cigarette labels often differ from the amounts actually found in the product. For all those reasons, most major medical groups including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Medical Association (AMA) recommend that the FDA regulate e-cigs the same way they do tobacco cigarettes and that pregnant women avoid using them.

The Bottom Line

If you're pregnant and struggling to quit smoking, talk to your doctor. Not pregnant yet but trying to conceive? The good news is, there's no evidence that any smoking you do before you're pregnant will hurt your baby once you do conceive — as long as you quit before you're expecting. Ask for help, know that you're not alone, and remember that going smoke free is one of the best things you can for your health — and your baby's.

Maressa Brown is an editor and writer with more than a decade of experience covering lifestyle, pop culture, and parenting. Her work has appeared in/on a variety of publications including Cosmopolitan.com, Parents.com, Romper, Redbookmag.com, ELLE.com, GoodHousekeeping.com, Bustle, Variety, Women's Health, and Better Homes & Gardens. She loves researching and covering women’s health, beauty/style, relationships, pop culture, and astrology. Follow her on Twitter @MaressaSylvie.